


Voltron Force: Season One

by 80sGayTrashGoblin



Series: Voltron Force Rewrite [2]
Category: Voltron Force (2011), Voltron: Lion Force (1984)
Genre: Butchering Real Places for Fiction Purposes, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, Dubious Method of Obtaining Cinnamon Buns, Dubious Science, Established Relationship, Excessive Worldbuilding, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Non-Alcoholic Drinking, Origin Story, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pidge is a little shit, Politics, Presumed Dead, Reboot, Referenced Illegal Activities, Reunions, Sentient Voltron Lions, Walk Into A Bar, casual treason, the author references real alcholic beverages but makes up galaxies, the shipping is lowkey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26168248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/80sGayTrashGoblin/pseuds/80sGayTrashGoblin
Summary: The Voltron Force was permanently disbanded, the Black Lion under the control of the Galaxy Garrison. Now, three years later, four cadets are left to unearth the mystery of what happened, as the disgraced Galra Kingdom of the Drule Empire tries to rise again.(aka, I'm rewriting Voltron Force based on my interpretation of Defenders of the Universe)
Relationships: Allura/Queen Merla (Voltron), Daniel & Vince & OCs, Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance & Hunk & Pidge
Series: Voltron Force Rewrite [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900315
Comments: 41
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm adding a few OCs in order to fill out the cadets (because I personally think it's stupid that if you're going to go for a next gen theme you only find pilots for three of the lions). 
> 
> Also, this 'season' is going to cover episodes one through three. I'm extending them because I wanted to do more with the time of getting the lion keys. And I'm the author, so if you read the fic and complain about it being too slow, you've been warned. 
> 
> Also also, I've cut out all of Keith's solo parts, as that's gonna be in another fic.
> 
> If you want more information about the rewrite, I have more information on my tumblr, 80sgaytrashgoblin.

The Stormy Chasm, supposedly split open by the forces of World War Three, stood deadly silent. 300 feet deep, 20 feet wide, the ravine is known for the stormy waters below. Storm clouds gather over the river in the depths of the chasm, killing many who go through its channels and who fall in. 

Which makes what he's about to do incredibly stupid. 

Daniel revved his hoverbike, without protective gear other than his tattered leather jacket. Jake and Greg were on their hoverbikes to the side, and a ramp stood in front of him, beckoning him to jump. 

“This is a stupid idea,” Jake said, grinning. “I dare you to do it.” 

“Do it!” Greg started the chant, with Jake joining in. Both of them cheered when Daniel revved his bike again. 

“It’s not a dare if I want to do it,” Daniel boasted with a grin, launching off. The two boys cheered and whooped as he jumped. 

He could feel the adrenaline in his veins and the wind in his hair as he flew, only three hundred and ten feet from certain death. It was only in moments like these where he truly felt alive. 

Then his blood went cold when he heard explosions. 

He could hear the cheering of his friends as he landed, but he quickly skidded to a halt, looking behind them as a large monster ripped through Salt Lake City. 

“Oh my god!” Greg screeched, with Jake slapping him in the face. 

But they all watched as five lights streaked through the sky, eventually landing in the middle of the city. 

Daniel had another stupid idea, revving his bike and setting off. 

“Daniel!” “Slow the fuck down!” 

His friends caught up to him as he approached Salt Lake City. “Dude, what the fuck?!” Jake shouted, his voice almost lost to the wind. 

“I’m going to watch the fight!” Daniel grinned, fearless as they swept over the sands. “Voltron’s there, we’ll be fine!” 

“I don’t think that’s how that works- Ah!” Greg swerved, dodging a street sign that fell down from the rumbling footsteps of the titans fighting. 

Jake and Greg stopped, the only thing Daniel hearing “Don’t fucking die!” as he sped on. 

He swerved around debri and dodged twisted metal from falling on him. His heart pounded, the wind whipping through his hair like before, but now he felt even more on fire than before. He didn’t think it was possible to be more alive than in a jump, yet he was. 

Eventually he stopped, watching in awe as the two titans clashed. Despite Voltron’s size, they moved fluidly, almost as if it was one person fighting rather than five different people in the same robot. Trails of fire followed the blade they wielded, and their fighting was confident and sure.

This was the movement of people who have been fighting together for almost ten years.

Daniel stood there captivated, and hardly noticed when people started swelling around him, or when the monster was defeated, or when they separated into their individual lions again. In fact, he would've never noticed his friends had Jake not poked him in the arm and shouted "Daniel!"

"Hey Jake, hey Greg."

"When did you get here? What did you see?!" Greg shouted excitedly, looking up at the massive lions along with the rest of the cheering crowd.

"I got here right in the middle of the battle, it was amazing!" Once Daniel started gushing, it was hard to stop him. "They went like whoosh, and whoosh! And they took it down like that!"

The three boys quieted down after a bit, looking up at the massive lions. It was Daniel who spoke up then.

"Someday, that's gonna be me. I'm gonna pilot the Black Lion."

* * *

Daniel was sitting on the floor of his Aunt's house when he got the news.

They had the TV on to a news broadcast, which his aunt was listening to as she was cooking dinner. Suddenly, the story shifted from the hurricane watch on the east coast to a new broadcast.

"We have breaking news tonight. The long blockade around planet Arus has finally been broken, as the Galaxy Garrison reached out to make a treaty between the Kingdom of Arus and the Drule Kingdom of Morva. The blockade has been lifted and trade routes have been reestablished as they hammer out the details of the treaty and peace settles again."

"We have breaking news tonight. As part of the treaty, the Voltron Force has been temporarily disbanded, and the Galaxy Garrison has borrowed the Black Lion of Voltron for studies, in order to improve technology."

"We have breaking news tonight. Keith Kogane, commander of the Voltron Force, has stabbed Sky Marshall Wade, claiming self defense."

"We have breaking news tonight. The Galaxy Garrison has declared Keith Kogane a wanted fugitive. Said fugitive has disappeared and is now on the run. The Voltron Force has been permanently disbanded, the Black Lion being taken by the Galaxy Garrison indefinitely and the rest of the lions being stored on Planet Arus."

"We have breaking news-"

* * *

Daniel joined the Galaxy Alliance Flight Academy, in the hopes that getting to space would allow him to finally figure out the truth. He couldn't believe that the charges were true: Sir Keith Kogane was known for staying level headed and preferring to use his words rather than his weapons. 

It just didn’t seem right. 

This is how he found himself standing in a very large auditorium, with a whole bunch of other cadets, milling around to find the rest of their squad. He tried to look his best, even though his hair couldn’t be bothered to stay flat, and he had a massive bruise on his face, and he only has two changes of clothes. So he looked the same as normal, but the point was that he _tried_ , okay?

One other kid caught his attention. She had bright purple hair, pink eyes, mac and cheese earrings, and rolled around on heelys. She had a sleeveless denim vest with a whole bunch of patches and a grey sweatshirt around her waist. But the strangest thing was the gold band around her right arm (as if everything else wasn’t already strange enough). 

She rolled over to him, a Starbucks cup in her hand that was definitely not filled with Starbucks. “Sup?” 

He nodded, his phone in his hand. “What’s your name?” 

“CJ.” She took a very long sip of her off-brand Starbucks. “But it’s probably more helpful to know Corella Jay.” 

Daniel nodded, looking down at his phone. “Then you're in my squad. I’m Daniel Zhu. But you can just call me Daniel.” 

_Corella Jay: Mechanic of Squad 404._

_Daniel Zhu: Pilot of Squad 404._

She nodded back respectfully, before turning around and shouting at the top of her lungs, “ASH! I FOUND ANOTHER ONE!!” 

Another girl came out of the crowd towards them, sighing and clutching her head. “For the last time, it’s Ashlyn.” She wore a loose grey sweater with a music note on it, with simple sandals that have got to be uncomfortable by now. She had light blonde wavy hair and eyes to match the turquoise tiara she wore. 

“Whatever Ash.” CJ wrapped her arm around the other girl’s shoulders with a squeak. “This is Ashlyn Eimhear. She’s in our squad too.” 

“Wait, what?” Ash asked. “What’s your name?” 

He sighed. “Daniel Zhu. You can just call me Daniel though.” 

_Ashlyn Eimhear: Navigator of Squad 404._

Ashlyn put her hand out, and Daniel shook it, like a polite person does. The three of them shuffled over to the buffet table, ignoring the looks of everyone else. Although it seemed like they were looking at CJ rather than them, and Daniel was a-okay with that. 

Ash, graceful as ever in the five minutes he’s known her, picked up a strawberry and nibbled on it. CJ grabbed a skewer, stabbed five pieces of fruit, and started gobbling on it. 

Daniel just passed on the buffet.

Another boy wandered up to the three of them. Dark brown hair trimmed down to match dark hazel eyes, he was dressed in a sea green sweater over a collared shirt. He had glasses balanced on his nose, a watch and a gold band, and earrings.

“Um, you’re the one who was shouting really loudly earlier, right?” He asked. “Is Ash short for Ashlyn, and are you Ashlyn Eimhear?” 

“She’s Ash,” CJ pointed to Ash with her skewer, continuing to consume strawberries. “I’m CJ, and that’s Daniel. You’re Vince Ahmad, right?” 

“Yes?” He asked nervously. 

“Great!” She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, ignoring his protests as she dragged him towards the others. “Welcome to the squad!” 

_Vince Ahmad: Communicator of Squad 404._


	2. Episode One: The Winking Skeever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel, bored out of his mind, decides to ditch his squadmates and explore town. He comes upon the Winking Skeever, and the bartender decides to point him in a certain direction.

Classes were finally over. Now, Daniel and the squad could relax in peace. 

“Relax in peace?” Ash asked, sitting at her desk. “I have to do my homework.” 

Daniel paused, trying to mentally remember what he was supposed to be doing. They were hanging out in the girls’ dorms, as Ash and Vince did homework together, Daniel scrolled through his phone, and CJ was doing… something.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure I don’t have homework,” Daniel said, rolling onto his back. “Then again, with being a pilot and all, my assignments are all simulators.” 

“Yeah, yeah, brag about how lucky you are,” Vince whined, dropping his head onto the desk. “I’m swamped.” 

“Hey, why don’t you have homework, CJ?” Ash asked the girl in question, who was wearing a large pair of goggles and mixing some sort of substance. “You’re in the engineering classes, you should have the most homework out of any of us.” 

“I did it in class,” she said nonchalantly, swirling the vial in her hands. 

“You did it in- Did you pay attention to your teacher?!” 

“No?” CJ looked up. “Was I supposed to?” 

Ash sputtered, and Daniel took a few seconds to laugh at her, before sinking back down to the floor. 

“What are you doing, anyways?” He asked CJ, hoping to relieve his own boredom.

“Mixing broken down uranium and carbon to see what happens.” 

Ash and Vince sputtered again, turning back to her. “What?!” “Uranium?!” 

“Relax, relax,” she waved her hand at them dismissively. “It’s not radioactive anymore. We’re fine.” 

“Where do you even find a thing such as non radioactive uranium?” Daniel asked. 

“EBay.” 

As Ash and Vince scolded her about buying sketchy science materials off of EBay, Daniel flopped over. “I am so bored.” 

Ash sighed. “Then go into town instead of moping around.” 

Since it seemed like a decent idea, he got up, stretching and slipping his phone into his pocket. “Hey CJ, you coming?” 

“Maybe in a bit,” she said, glancing over at a timer on her phone. “I do have something that I need to check up on down there.” 

“Meet ya at the Winking Skeever?” 

“Kay.” 

He waved at his friends, who were currently drilling CJ at what the hell she needed to “check up on,” and left.

* * *

Daniel figured his first stop was the Winking Skeever, because he should probably know where their rendezvous was going to be before he goes wandering off. He’d never been to this part of town before, so he had the GPS on his phone in order to get where he was going. 

“What does CJ need to do in order to meet here?” he muttered under his breath, then stopped when he saw it. The building of the Winking Skeever was unlike the other buildings, built in a very rustic style and lit with oil lanterns instead of neon lights. The sign was lettered in old time-y writing, with an animal that looked a lot like a rat winking. 

He opened the door, and found that it looked a lot nicer on the inside than on the outside. While it was a bar, there were plenty of seats for patrons who weren’t drinking. And there was a very large sign on the menu: “Only virgins for those under 21.” Daniel presumed it meant drinks without alcohol, and not the other meaning. 

He slid onto a bar stool, flipping through the drinks menu absentmindedly. The bartender moved over to greet him. He was tall and lanky, but still built with muscle on him and littered with scars. He had an eyepatch over his left eye and had ginger hair with brown roots. The most out of place apron was on him, a light pink apron that said ‘Kill the cook.’

He looked vaguely familiar to Daniel, but he couldn’t figure out why for the life of him.

“Hey kid, you getting anything? You have to get off the stool if you aren’t.” 

“Oh, uh,” Daniel quickly scanned the menu, spotting the first thing that came up. “A Shirley Temple please.” 

“Coming right up,” he said, taking down a large glass that said VIRGIN in large bold letters, and Daniel let out a “Hey!” 

“What?” The bartender looked back at him. “You’re under 21, you get the virgins.” 

Daniel huffed. “How do you know I’m under 21?” 

“I could clock it from a mile away,” he said, turning back to the task at hand. “You have a baby face.” 

Daniel sputtered, and the bartender sighed. “If you want to do this song and dance, then show me your ID.” 

Daniel grumbled, pulling his GG card out of his phone case. “Just as I thought,” the bartender said, giving it back to him. “Although your first drink is on the house tonight.” 

“Why?” 

He snorted, mixing his drink up. “Any sod unlucky enough to be involved with the Galaxy Garrison gets their first drink of the night free. Lord knows y’all need it.” 

Daniel nodded as the drink was passed to him. He took a curious sip, only to find that he actually quite liked it. 

“Say kid,” the bartender said, leaning over while cleaning his glass. “Why are you here anyways?” 

“I’ve gotta meet a friend here,” he responded, still sipping on his drink. 

“Odd place to meet a friend.” 

“Yeah, well, she’s an odd friend.” Daniel took another very long sip. “Said she needed to check on something before coming down here.” 

The bartender hummed thoughtfully. “Is that the one with purple hair and macaroni earrings?” 

“Yeah. How do you know her?” 

“She’s a regular. Always gets the same thing, every time she comes round. Always meets with some other girl.”

The doors swung open, and CJ came in, along with another girl dressed in the most hideous outfit Daniel’s ever seen (and CJ’s outfit is pretty damn hideous). Dark blue shorts, purple shorts, dark pink shirt that says ‘lesbean,’ a bright green vest, and a brown leather jacket over all of that. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail sticking straight up, dyed light green and light pink and dark pink, and she wore a light pink slipper on one foot and an atrocious blue sneaker on the other. 

“Hey, Daniel!” CJ waved, dragging the other girl along with her (who looked super high). “Didn’t expect you to be this early! What happened to ‘being late is part of my brand?’”

“Shut up!” Daniel pushed her over, and she grinned as she slid over. 

“Anyways, this is my supplier, Candy.” She wrapped her arm around the other’s shoulders, who winked. 

“Wassup? I’m Candy. You need to know anyone, I’m your gal.” Candy winked again, before blinking at him. “How do you know Goblin?” 

“Goblin?” Daniel raised an eyebrow at CJ.

“An alias, of course,” she huffed, offended. “I’m not that stupid.” 

Candy rolled her eyes, patting the both of them on the back. “Ladies, ladies, get along. I have to get going, Gob, I need to be back in New York.” 

CJ nodded. “Alright. You’ll still get my shipment for next month, right?” 

“Of course.” 

“Coolio.” 

With that, Candy left. Daniel looked at the bartender in confusion, but he was cleaning glasses like this was a normal occurrence.

“So, both of you are GG,” the bartender said, eyeing the two of them. “Why?” 

“I’m in it to learn more,” CJ said, sipping the virgin Shirley Temple she got. “I know all I want to know about Earth science, but what can we learn about life off of Earth that we’ve never known about?” 

“I always wanted to be a pilot of Voltron,” Daniel spoke up. “Specifically the Black Lion, ever since they arrived to stop the monster in Salt Lake City. But they disbanded, and I figure getting into the Garrison would help me learn why. Really why, not the bullshit they put on TV.” 

“He’s obsessed, too. Won’t stop talking about it unless we’re in class, has a whole board with newspaper articles about what happened.” 

“Hey! You were the one who started the board!” 

“That’s true. Pidge Gunderson is my icon.” 

“He’s crazy.” 

“I aspire to be that level of unhinged.” 

“You’re crazy.” 

“Damn right I am.” 

The bartender smiled fondly, as if remembering something, before speaking up. “I have a couple of friends in the Garrison myself. If you really want to learn more about what happened, you should go talk to them. Tell them Ginger sent you, and that the best birthday party Voltron has ever attended was the one they crashed.” 

Daniel and CJ looked at each other in confusion, but CJ dutifully wrote down the information as Daniel asked “Then who do we tell this to?” 

“Lt. Hugo Garrett and Lt. Pidge Gunderson.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One: You cannot convince me that Lance would be accepted back into the GG and be able to lie about the groups true intentions. So he's a bartender now, since I think that's more believable. 
> 
> Two: I decided Hunk's real name is Hugo. Because let's be honest, no reasonable parent is going to name their child Hunk.


	3. Episode Two: The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cadets follow the directions given by the bartender, and finally figure out the truth of why Voltron was disbanded that day.

“Okay, so what the fuck?” Vince asked, looking at the two of them. “You go out, and come back with a secret mission from a random bartender-” 

“With a fluffy red cat.” 

“There was a fluffy red cat? Where?” 

“He was further down the bar, I’m surprised you didn’t notice him.” 

“ANYWAYS. You get a secret mission from a random bartender, and you expect us to join you with no details?” 

“Yeah?” 

Vince threw his arms up into the air and resumed pacing, while Ash sighed. “Can you at least tell us what else you know about the mission? Other than to talk to Lt. Garrett and Lt. Gunderson with passcodes?”

Daniel and CJ looked at each other blankly, then looked back at her. 

“Do you not know anything else?” 

“No?” 

Ash put her face in her hands, looking like she was about to scream. 

CJ kicked her feet up with a grin. “Guys, let’s be real here. All we gotta do is go talk to them. If they have any other missions for us, we can go from there.” 

“Besides,” Daniel spoke up, leaning forwards. “This is the first clue we’ve had all year of what happened to Voltron. Lt. Garrett was the pilot of the yellow lion, and Lt. Gunderson was the pilot of the green lion. If anyone here would know what happened, it’s them.” 

There were a few moments of silence, before Ashlyn spoke up. “Okay, okay. They’re right. This is the first lead we’ve got on Voltron in all our time here. And besides, if what they ask of us is too much, or not worth it, then we can say no.” 

The two cheered, and Vince sighed. “Well, I guess we’re doing this.” 

* * *

The four cadets all crammed themselves in front of Lt. Garrett’s and Lt. Gunderson’s shared office, looking through the tiny window in the door. 

“I don’t see anything, the lights must be off.” 

“Lt. Gunderson is weird, he could be working in the dark?” 

“Or he could be invisible.” 

“Or there could just be a curtain over the door to prevent students from snooping on us.” 

They jumped, as they saw the two men they were looking for had snuck up right behind them. They didn’t seem to be too upset though.

Lt. Garrett wasn’t in uniform, instead in a yellow and dark blue sleeveless suit, his scars on display. He wore a vest over it, an orange toolbelt strapped over that with a few pouches on it, and he wore fingerless gloves that matched the suit. But the most striking feature (other than how big he was and how scarred he was) was the eyepatch he wore over his left eye. 

Lt. Gunderson was in a suit matching Lt. Garrett’s, although with blue and green accents and plenty of colors. It also had a pocket with a grenade in it, and the lieutenant bounced another grenade in his left hand, the prosthetic hand disguised as human. He was shorter than even CJ (who was under five feet) and perched on Lt. Garrett’s shoulder. 

The four of them looked at each other, before Daniel blurted out “We need to talk to you.” 

Lt. Gunderson and Lt. Garrett looked at each other, before Lt. Garrett stepped forward and opened the door, ushering them inside. He closed and locked the door behind them, and Lt. Gunderson jumped off, going to sit on his desk instead. A shorthair tabby with green eyes leaped up onto Lt. Gunderson’s desk to get pets, and a fluffy golden tabby jumped onto Lt. Garrett’s shoulder. 

“So, what did you need to talk to us about?” Lt. Garrett asked, leaning back on his desk. 

They all looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them (with gestures and everything) before Ash spoke up. “Uh, we’re here to discuss a mission that your friend pointed us on?” 

The air changed immediately. Both of the lieutenants immediately tensed up, some sort of communication going on between them, and Lt. Garrett crossed his arms over his chest. “And who’s this friend?” 

“Uh,” Daniel spoke up on impulse, then stopped when he realized everyone was staring at him. “We don’t really know who he is, other than that he’s the bartender for the Winking Skeever?” 

The two lieutenants looked at each other again, but this time in confusion rather than caution. 

CJ smacked him. “That’s not the code words! Tell him the code words!” 

“I don’t remember the code words! You say them, you wrote them down!” 

“Weren’t you paying attention?!” 

Ash sighed, her face in her hands, before speaking up. “Ginger sent us.” 

The two cats, who previously weren’t paying attention, perked up. The two of them looked at each other, and Lt. Garrett nodded. Lt. Gunderson pulled out his phone and pressed a button.

The bigger man stood up, gently guiding the cadets out of the office by the shoulders. “It’s really cool to see younger cadets interested in the older models. Personally, I was always a fan of the older models. I have an S.S. Adventure in a garage, why don’t you kids follow me and we can take a look at it.” While the cadets were confused, he winked at them, while Lt. Gunderson followed them up, two cats on his shoulders.

They followed him to one of the smaller garages. Then stepped into a side room. Then stopped in front of an elevator. 

“Now, there are a couple questions we need to ask you.” Lt. Garrett turned serious, crossing his arms and standing in front of them. The cadets all looked at each other nervously, before Daniel nodded. 

“One, what’s the best birthday party Voltron has ever attended?” 

The four looked at each other, but Daniel spoke up. “I know this one! It’s the one you crashed!” 

“You remember the obscure birthday party thing but not the short passcode?!” 

Lt. Garrett chuckled good naturedly. “You’re right. I just needed to make sure that you’re not from the GG. Second question: are you prepared to learn the truth?” 

“I mean yeah, why wouldn’t we?” Daniel asked, and then was smacked by Ash.

“Let them explain!” Vince hissed. 

“Yeah, you do want him to explain,” Lt. Gunderson responded, sitting on top of Lt. Garrett’s head now. 

“The Garrison has a history of killing anyone who has information,” he said. “If you get involved, you become a target. They’ve tried to kill us for a long time. And if it works, you probably won’t see your family for a long time. I understand if you want to turn back. That being said, do you want to continue?”

“Will we have to do something if we agree?” Ash asked. 

“We’ll ask you to, but you can refuse,” the lieutenant responded. “But the information is that valuable. Even if you say no to what we ask you to do, the GG’ll still kill you.” 

A silence swept over the room. Vince waved them over, and the four cadets created a huddle. 

“Guys, we got this far already,” Daniel said. “We need to see this through.” 

“I’d like to not die, thank you very much,” Vince hissed. 

“We’ll only die if we fuck up! It’ll be fine!” CJ grinned. 

“How are you so unphased by this?!” 

“Me and Daniel risk our lives all the time, you get used to it.” 

“Yeah, but we don’t pull your bullshit!” 

“Look,” Daniel spoke up again. “We’ve been looking into Voltron all year. We finally have a lead now, an opportunity. We can’t just throw it away now.” 

They all looked at each other, before Ash sighed. “Why not? Something that involved us risking our lives was bound to happen since we’re in the same squad as these two.”

“Hey!” 

“She’s right.” 

They all looked at Vince, who just sighed before saying, “Alright, fine. But don’t expect me to bail your asses out.” 

They turned back to the two lieutenants. “Alright,” Daniel said. “We’re in.” 

They looked at each other, then grinned. The elevator opened behind him, and they beckoned. 

“Buckle up kiddos, cause this is gonna be the time of your lives.” 

* * *

Daniel had never seen a place this cool in his life. It was like they were in an underground secret base. Which they were, but still. 

CJ was running around and gawking at all the tech, Vince was standing in the middle and slowly turning around himself, and Ash was on the floor petting both of the cats. 

Lt. Garrett chuckled behind them, gesturing for them all to get comfortable. “So, I believe you all know our names by now, but I’m Hunk Garrett, the knight of the yellow lion of Voltron. This here is Pidge-” 

“Professional riot starter.” 

“Not. The knight of the green lion of Voltron.” 

Lt. Gunderson just stuck his tongue out, and Lt. Garrett rolled his eyes at him. “Now, I’m sure you’ve all heard what supposedly happened that day. The Garrison organizes a treaty between Arus and Morva, and as a part of that, the Black Lion is being taken by the Garrison for study. Keith stabs Wade, and then Arus is forced to join the Alliance and the Black Lion is permanently taken by the GG. That’s not what actually happened.” 

Everyone looked up. Ash stood up, and CJ stopped running around and finally came to join them.

“It’s true, the GG stepped in to create a treaty, but one of the clauses was that Voltron would temporarily be disbanded. We all protested that, but Keith was the one who protested it the most, as it would’ve left Arus nearly defenseless. At one point during the meeting, Wade literally held a gun to Keith’s head to get him to agree. Yes, Wade did get stabbed at this point, no, Keith didn’t stab him-” 

“I did.” 

“Yes, Pidge did.”

“Why? Why did you stab him?” Ash asked. 

“Because he was holding a gun to my brother’s head,” Lt. Gunderson said, sucking on a lollipop he had somehow acquired. 

“Also, you have stabbed people for less.” 

“That too.” 

“Anyways, Wade used his stab wound as leverage in order to disable Voltron and take the lion for himself.” 

The cadets all looked among each other, before Daniel spoke up again (always a good thing). “So, why are you two here then? And where is Keith now?” 

Their faces fell, the two lieutenants looking at each other briefly before Lt. Garrett decided to continue his story. “We’re here on a mission. Originally, the plan was for Keith to go alone and recover the black lion, with aid from the two of us as moles in the GG. Lance joined us as additional support, and Allura stayed on Arus for funding and to keep ruling the planet. We were all going to keep in touch through encoded channels. However, a few weeks into the mission, we lost contact with Keith. After a few months, Keith was declared dead, and they erected a tombstone for him back on Arus.” 

“Do you guys believe he’s dead?” Daniel asked. “Have you looked for him!?” 

Lt. Gunderson shook his head. “We can’t look for him, or else it would blow both of our covers. And… we know Keith better than you do. He would not disappear off of the face of the planet without a word. Something had to have happened to him. I would’ve hoped for the best, but…” 

The room grew solemn. 

“So, why are you still here now?” Ash asked, breaking the silence of the room. 

“We’re continuing the mission,” Lt. Garrett said, a determined glint in his eye. “It’s what he would’ve wanted. And it’s why you were sent here.” 

All the cadets looked at each other, a unanimous decision between them. “What do we need to do?” 

Both lieutenants smiled, then gestured to the board behind them. “Let’s get started then.” 

* * *

Larmina groaned, wandering around the Castle of Lions. She was living with her Aunt, Queen Orla, for a while, but she was sent back to Aunt Allura for a while for 'behavioral issues' (which aren't actually issues, grauntie, but whatever). But she’s been busy as of late, and no one would explain to her why. It’s not like she doesn’t want to visit (she’s the coolest aunt she has, after all) but she’s bored out of her mind.

“Wade’s denying the Drule threat? That sounds like him. We’re still monitoring the movements of Commander Kala in the Spiderweb Nebula… Mhmm, well, I don’t want to get our hopes up too soon. Just get the keys and the Voltcoms and get back to Arus, and then we’ll see what we can do.” 

She peeked into her Auntie’s office. It was a smaller room, bookshelves packed to the brim with various books and trinkets. The room was painted navy, lit by various candles and lamps. There were piles of papers and books everywhere, the room in a sort of orderly chaos. Aunt Allura sat in a plush chair in front of her desk, on a conference call with Uncle Hunk. 

“I know, but I have a good feeling about this.” Uncle Hunk said, his voice sounding warbled due to it being over a call. “Just hold out a little longer. We’ll be there before you know it.” 

Auntie smiled tiredly, taking a sip of the steaming mug in her hands. “Well, I’ll let you go then. I’ll see you later.” Sapphire, the blue lioness that’s always by her aunt’s side, purred in acknowledgement, and Uncle Hunk said goodbye, before the call ended. 

She leaned back, then turned to see Larmina in the doorway. “Larmina! How long have you been standing there?” 

She shuffled nervously, suddenly on the spot. “Only a few minutes. I’ve been bored.” 

“Oh, come on in,” Auntie waved her in, the door sliding shut behind her. “I have some juniper berry tea here if you want some.” 

Larmina sat down, taking a mug of tea. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with you,” Auntie said, and Sapphire laid her head on her lap. “I’ve just been busy lately.” 

“It’s okay, I understand,” Larmina said, gently running her hand over Sapphire’s fur. “You’re the Queen of Arus. I can’t expect to have your attention all the time.” 

Aunt Allura shook her head, then took a sip of her tea. 

“Oh, uh, Auntie?” Larmina asked. “What was that about a Drule threat?” 

Allura sighed, putting down her cup. “There have been suspicious movements from the Galra Kingdom of the Drule Empire.” 

“The Galra Kingdom? Aren’t they the ones who originally attacked Arus? And who we’re ‘at war’ with.” 

“Yes. From our reports, they’re interested in a way to resurrect Haggar.” 

Larmina’s eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her tea. “Haggar?!” 

Auntie nodded. “We’re leaning on the fact that if anyone would be able to resurrect someone, it would be Haggar, and she’s dead, so theoretically it should be impossible, but we need to be on our guard regardless.” 

Larmina nodded, taking another sip of tea to calm her nerves. “I understand.” 

They sat there for a moment, silently having their tea, before Aunt Allura stood up. “Although, I am done for the day. Would you like to do some sparring?” 

Larmina grinned, jumping up and following her out of the office, the mysterious lioness following them as she usually does.


	4. Episode Three: Plans in Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad starts putting into motion plans to get back the keys to the lions of Voltron. On Arus, Allura gives hope to a young prodigy.

Daniel followed CJ back into the Winking Skeever. He couldn’t find the bartender, but he found the cat that he missed last time. 

“Come on,” CJ said, grabbing Daniel’s hand and dragging him over to the bar. “He’s friendly. You can pet her. Her name is Ruby.” 

Daniel reached his hand out nervously, and Ruby bumped her head up against his palm. He smiled, gently moving his hand across her soft fur. 

“Well, I see you two are back for more.” Daniel jumped up, as the bartender stood behind Ruby on the other side of the counter, cleaning another glass. Ruby meowed impatiently, bumping her head against the glass he was cleaning. 

“We are,” CJ said, sliding onto one of the barstools. Daniel took her cue, sitting down next to Ruby and continuing to pet her. “We met with Lt. Gunderson and Lt. Garrett.” 

“Ahh, you have?” He leaned back, looking around. “And did you agree to what they asked you to do?” 

They both nodded, and he leaned back. “Well, then there’s something I’m supposed to give you. Sofia! Cover the bar real quickly!” 

Another woman nodded, moving over while he went into a back room. “Well, sweethearts, what would you like today?” 

Daniel looked over at CJ, and she grinned. “A Malibu Sunset for him and a Bay Breeze for me.” 

“Alrightie.” She deftly made both drinks, sliding them in big cups labelled VIRGINS.

Daniel sipped his drink, enjoying the tropical goodness. At her questioning eyebrow raise, he nodded, and she smiled. 

“I knew you would be a tropical bitch.” 

“Hey! What’s yours then?” 

“Cranberries and pineapple.” She finished it with a very long sip. 

The bartender came back out, a very long rolled up paper under one arm. He nodded to the other woman, who picked up her tray and continued to wait. He set it onto the table, sparing a hand to run it over Ruby. 

“Here it is,” he said. “Don’t open it until you get there. Hunk n’ Pidge’ll know what to do with it.” 

They both nodded to each other, sliding their empty cups back over to the barkeep as Daniel put the paper under one arm. 

“Just, one question, before I go?” Daniel asked, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could stop him. CJ looked at him like he was crazy, and the barkeep raised an eyebrow, but motioned for him to go ahead. 

Daniel leaned over, trying to keep his question as quiet as possible. “Are you Lance McClain?” 

The bartender looked surprised, before a grin broke out over his face. “I can’t answer that, of course,” he winked. “I guess you’ll never know.” 

“Neither of us recognized you,” CJ added, leaning in to join the conversation. 

He chuckled. “Well, that is the point of a disguise.” He looked at the other patrons, before stepping back. “Now scram, kiddos. I’ve gotta do my job.” 

The two of them got out of there, Daniel wondering why the former red lion’s pilot chose to set up a bar of all things. 

“Okay, that disguise is brilliant,” CJ said, jabbing him in the side and pulling him out of his head. “I mean, how did he manage to fake a prosthetic leg?! I wanna know the deets to that!” 

“I mean, he might just have a prosthetic leg.” Daniel shrugged. “They’ve been fighting in a war for years, it’s not that much of a stretch.” 

“Huh, that is a good point. So then why does McClain have a metal prosthetic, while Gunderson has a human-looking one?”

“McClain? Gunderson?” 

“Hey, I might be crazy, but I still have manners, Daniel.” CJ ribbed him in the side. “I didn’t miss how you called them Pidge and Hunk earlier.” 

“She’s right, you know.” They both jumped as Pidge emerged from the shadows. His left hand, usually looking human, was fully metal, with the joints glowing a faint green. “You should learn to respect your elders.” 

“But- But-” Daniel flailed his arms around. “No offence, but you look like you’re twelve.” 

“No offence taken.” Pidge disappeared from their sight, and then reappeared right in front of them. “I use the fact that I look twelve to my advantage. Unlike you, my baby face doesn’t handicap me.” 

While Daniel squawked and CJ laughed, Pidge’s ear visibly twitched, and he turned to look somewhere around in the crowd. Pidge grinned, turning back to them. “Here, I’ll demonstrate.” He flicked his wrist, and some sort of illusion covered his hand to make it look normal again.

He winked at them, then slipped through the crowd, appearing at a stall selling cinnamon buns. Something clearly adjusted between then, because suddenly Pidge blinked up at the lady at the counter, and Daniel couldn’t doubt that he looked like an adorable little kid. Which really messed with his head. 

“Excuse me, ma’am?” He asked, in the most innocent voice Daniel’s ever heard. “Can I have buns for me and my little sisters?” 

“Oh, of course!” She smiled, putting on gloves to pull out the buns. “How many do you need, darling?” 

Pidge held his hand up for three, and the lady put three cinnamon buns in a bag. She put the bag on the counter. “That’ll be five dollars.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have any money on me.” Pidge turned his wide eyes up at the lady, which were actually tearing up. “I’m sorry ma’am-” 

“No, no, it’s okay sweetheart, please don’t cry.” The lady picked up the bag and plopped it into his arms. “Here, take these for free and give them to your sisters.” 

He adjusted the bag better in his arms, before wiping his eyes. “Thank you ma’am,” he said as he smiled innocently, blending back into the crowd and turning invisible. 

Pidge reappeared next to them, the shit eating grin back on his face and the illusion off of his hand. “Voila,” he said smugly, taking a big bite out of a cinnamon roll.

“We’re not going to get any, are we?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

* * *

Vince sighed, wiping his face with a rag next to him and taking another sip of his water. He sat in front of the computer in the newly dubbed ‘Lion’s Den’ (because they didn’t have a name before they got there, and Daniel gave it a stupid one), and he was on hour three of trying to break into G.A. servers. At least whatever mission they gave Daniel and CJ allowed them to get up and stretch their legs. He was stuck in front of a screen. 

He wasn’t just hacking in on his own. Apparently a friend of the lieutenants had given them some info on how to get in, so that’s cut down on the work significantly. It didn’t mean it was easier, just less work than if he’d been doing it on his own. 

Ashlyn walked back over, a plate of chopped up watermelon in her hands. “Take a break and have this. You look like you need it.” 

He sighed, leaning back in his seat and half-heartedly stabbing a piece with a fork. “I don’t know when I’ll get this done.” 

She shrugged. “We’ll be with you while you work.” 

“Thanks. I mean it.” 

“It’s no problem, really. Just eat your watermelon.” 

They sat in silence for a few moments. And when Vince buckled down and got back to work, Ashlyn still stayed.

They may be in way over their heads, but at least they were in it together. 

* * *

“One, two, three! One, two, three! One, two, three- Stop! Stop it!” 

The sour note echoed through the small ballroom, making Iris pin her ears down. She turned to face her teacher, the violin still perched on her shoulder. 

“You’re supposed to pivot into the arabesque, it’s not a ball change. And deepen that plie before you go into the jete so that you jump higher. If you insist on playing the violin while you perform ballet, then your footwork must be impeccable.” 

Iris sighed, ignoring the ache in her feet. “Of course, ma’am.” 

“Good. Go again.” 

“No.” 

Iris had started to move, but froze when her aunt’s voice cut through the air. Auntie Allura stepped into the small ballroom, catching her teacher’s attention. 

“Oh, your Majesty!” The teacher bowed. “I was just about to have her go through her routine again. Her footwork is a little bit sloppier than usual, but-” 

“I’m stopping lessons early today.” Her aunt interrupted the teacher. “I need to talk to her.” Her eyes softened when she talked to Iris. “Go get changed, Iris.” 

Iris nodded, putting the violin in its case and slipping into the changing room. She was glad to take off her tights and leotard for the day, slipping on a comfortable pair of pants and shirt, as well as a short sleeved jacket. It was a struggle to get her wings through the slits in the back of her jacket and shirt, as well as accounting for her tail feathers, but it was routine at this point. 

But the best part of getting out of class was pulling the messy bun out of her hair and watching as it fell to her back. 

Handing the violin to one of the servants who offered to bring it to her room (she usually takes it herself, but it’s not often that her aunt cuts lessons off early), she walked over to where her aunt was waiting in the doorway, Sapphire standing by her side. They silently walked to the castle gardens together, and into a part of the gardens that held a lot of mixed feelings for the both of them. 

Cobblestone walls lined the area, an intricate iron fence closing it off behind them. Flowered vines covered the walls, iron parabolas stretching overhead to give the whole area a feeling straight out of a fairy tale. Cherry blossom trees lined the area, as well as bushes and flowers, making the whole area have a natural beauty. There was a clearing in the center, a couple of fancy silver benches surrounding a granite gravestone, with a bundle of black roses laid in front of it.

_“Keith Kogane. 2064-2095. May he rest in peace, knowing that the world is a much better place when he left it than when he entered it.”_

Allura sat down on one of the benches, and Iris sat next to her. While they had never confirmed that her father was dead, it had been three years since they had lost contact with him. It was only logical that he was gone. 

Her other father and her uncles were on Earth, continuing to look for the Black Lion. And Iris was on Arus, dutifully studying and learning so that she could eventually release the memoir that would finally clear her father’s name. 

“Iris,” Allura said, tearing her eyes away from the gravestone and towards her niece. “The teacher said you were off today. Are you okay?” 

“Oh, I’m alright, auntie.” The wings on her back twitched. She knew her aunt noticed that she wasn’t feeling well today. When you grew up with an aunt who was practically a lioness herself, you couldn’t really hide things from her.

A moment hung in the air between them, before Allura reached out to take Iris’s hands. “It’s not because today is the anniversary of the funeral, is it?” 

Iris didn’t respond, but it seemed she didn’t need to, something on her face must’ve given it away. Sapphire purred in concern, laying her head on the girl’s lap, and Iris started gently running her fingers through the lioness’s fur. 

“Look, Irie.” She looked up at the familiar nickname, one she hadn’t heard in years. Something unidentifiable glimmered in her aunt’s eyes, something that looked like it could be… hope.

“I didn’t want to tell you this at first, because I didn’t want to get your hopes up, but you deserve to know.” Iris straightened up, looking at her aunt’s face for any signs of what this could possibly be. “We’ve intercepted Galaxy Garrison reports of a fugitive wandering the Hyperion Star System, whose description matches your father’s…” 

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Auntie,” she grabbed Allura’s hands, “Is dad alive?!” 

“We don’t know for sure, but there’s a chance.” Iris cannonballed into her aunt, wrapping her wings around her in the biggest hug she’s given in three years. Three words echoed in her mind. 

_There’s a chance._

_There’s a chance dad is alive._


	5. Episode Four: Payoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A UFO has hit Earth, and Daniel goes after to investigate. Meanwhile, the cadets retrieve the keys and the Voltcoms.

Ashlyn sat on top of the table, watching Vince work and occasionally feeding him watermelon cubes. Everything on his screen was completely meaningless to her, but she was content on making sure that Vince was doing okay. 

“I think I’ve got it,” Vince muttered under his breath, scribbling information down onto his notepad. 

“You do?” Ashlyn leaned over. “And get what?” 

Vince tapped his notepad excitedly. “The Voltcoms are being hidden in a safe in Sky Marshal Wade’s office, and the lion keys are being kept on Wade’s person!” 

They grinned at each other and high fived, and Lt. Garrett walked over, a pack of donuts in his hands. “Good job. Here, have one, you deserve it.” 

Vince shoved the donut into his face, and Ashlyn took it less desperately. “Are there any words from the others?” She asked, nibbling on the pink frosted donut.

“Not yet-” 

“Prepare for trouble!” “And make it double!” 

Two shadows stood in the doorway. Ashlyn could hear Vince sigh next to her, but she was intrigued by what was going on.

“To protect the world from devastation!” 

“To unite all peoples within our nation!” 

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!” 

“To extend our reach to the stars above!” 

CJ and Daniel stepped out of the shadows, posing like they were Team Rocket. 

“CJ!” “Daniel!” 

“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!” 

“Surrender now, or prepare to fight!” 

Pidge jumped onto both of their shoulders. “Meowth, that’s right!” 

The three of them stood in their ridiculous looking poses for a few moments, before Vince came and smacked them. “Do you guys at least have the map?!” 

Daniel pulled out a rolled up paper from somewhere, dramatically dropping it on the table and unfurling it. 

The map was of the entire G.A., with a few notable differences. There were more tunnels and passages than on the official map, with various markings and symbols that had no discernible meaning (since there wasn’t a key either). 

Hunk took a couple of colored markers and started drawing things on the map. Most notably were an x in Wade’s office and a few markings around the vents of Wade’s office. 

“Alright, so here’s the plan,” Hunk said, and everyone instinctively gathered around him. 

“The Voltcoms are in a safe in Wade’s office, specifically in the one under his desk. Pidge will be going through the vents to get them, and CJ will be back up in case something happens. Vince will be here, in the system while you two get through. Meanwhile, Ashlyn and Daniel will be getting the keys. They’ll be in a pin on his jacket, and he notoriously takes off his jacket and hangs it over his stall in the bathroom. Daniel will be going in, Ashlyn is backup. I’ll be remaining here, in case something happens. We move tomorrow at midnight, and once we’ve got both, we rendezvous here. Got it?” 

“Got it!” 

* * *

Daniel was in his shared dorm with Vince, when the alarms started at ten at night. 

“Cadets, please stay calm and stay in your dorms. There is nothing to be concerned about.” 

They both looked at each other, and Daniel dived for the walkie talkie that Pidge gave him to spy on the G.A. (okay, well, he gave it to CJ, but she let Vince borrow it cause he’s the one doing the hackie thingie). 

“An unidentified flying object resembling a spaceship has crashed into the ground, on Lat 36.50.22 Long -115.57.37, the Academy’s 1 o’clock, 12.9 miles away. We are dispatching a couple of squads to identify the object and locate any survivors.” 

Vince and Daniel looked at each other, with Daniel practically vibrating at the speed of light. “C’mon, a UFO lands near the G.A. on the same day that we plan to break into Sky Marshal Wade’s office? That’s not a coincidence. We gotta investigate.”

They had a mini staring contest, before Vince sighed, and Daniel fist pumped the air. “I’m not going with you, and you better be back by midnight,” Vince jabbed his points home by aggressively poking him in the chest.

“Alright mom,” Daniel rolled his eyes, ignoring Vince’s resigned sigh as he jumped out of the window. His thoughts were only on the coordinates mentioned as he zipped off on his hoverbike, wondering what fate brought this time. 

* * *

Vince cursed Daniel’s inability to not run head-first into things as he stood in the secret hideout, at midnight on the dot. 

Hunk was pacing the room, clearly nervous, while Pidge juggled grenades on his shoulder. Ashlyn was looking over the map intensely while CJ just sat on the floor petting the two lieutenants’ cats. 

“Vince, there you are!” Hunk exclaimed, moving over to them. “Where’s Daniel?” 

Vince shook his head. “Went to go chasing the UFO mentioned on the comm. I haven’t seen him since.” 

“You’ve got it, right?” CJ called from her position hunched over a module, and Vince just gave her a thumbs up in response. “Speakin’ of which, lieutenants, what was that all about?” 

Hunk huffed. “It was a ghost ship, covered in poorly cleaned blood that hasn’t been identified. The pilot’s body hasn’t been found, but they’ve pretty decisively said that they’re probably dead. In any case, if Daniel isn’t here, CJ’ll be helping Ashlyn instead.” 

“Wait, won’t Pidge need the backup?” Ashlyn asked from where she was hunched over the map. 

“Hah, of course not,” Pidge winked, pocketing the grenades. “One, I’m a trained ninja. Two, I’m a veteran and an expert in these vents. And three, if I have a problem, I’ll just throw a grenade.” 

“And how will that help?” 

“I’ll have a different problem.” 

Hunk sighed. “Regardless. We move out now.” 

Vince ignored everything else, moving to his laptop and setting up. He got back into their mainframe, starting by turning off the electric traps in the vents and cameras. He had a job to do after all. 

* * *

Ash and CJ crept through the halls, narrowly avoiding the various personnel still around (like, why are they still here, don’t they have jobs to do). Eventually, they got to the officers’ bathrooms.

“Now, how do we do this?” Ash whispered, her eyes darting back and forth. 

“I don’t know, you’re the sneaky one,” CJ muttered, her eyes rolling and ignoring the glare that Ash was giving her.

“Well, I was originally gonna have Daniel distract him, but I think it’s safer if I just go in there and snag the pin.”

CJ sighed, nodding at her to slip in there, pulling out some beef jerky to nibble on until Ashlyn gets back.

A low growl interrupted her, and she turned to come face to face with an actual, flesh and blood lion. 

“Holy shit,” she muttered, staying completely still as the lion sniffed her jerky. Absolutely not thinking at all, she reached her hand out, gently running it over the lion’s mane. 

It made a rumble almost like a purr, and when she pulled her hand away hesitantly, the lion bumped its head into her hand. The lion was demanding pets?

Well who was she to deny it pets?

When Ash came back out, she just stopped and stood completely still as her roommate pet an actual lion. “CJ, what the actual fuck?” She hissed, and the lion jerked its head up for a second before going back to being pet. 

She just shrugged. 

“Well, we’re going to have to get out of here.” 

CJ mechanically pulled her head back, and watched as the lion glared at her. She gently moved her jerky, watching the lion track it with its eyes, then chucked it as far as she could. 

The lion scrambled after it, and she grabbed Ash’s wrist and bolted in the opposite direction. They scrambled around various twists and turns, eventually stopping to catch their breaths. 

“What were you thinking?” Ash gasped, bent over and leaning on her knees. 

She shrugged. “I didn’t think at all. Guess you’re lucky I’m impulsive.” 

Ash glared at her. “No. Definitely not.” 

CJ huffed. “Did you get the pin?” 

She grinned, holding up the pin. “Of course I did. I wasn’t distracted petting an actual, very dangerous lion, CJ.” 

“What? If I see a cat, I pet the cat.” 

“That lion could’ve killed you.” 

“But it didn’t!” 

Ash sighed, standing up. “Let’s just get back to the others.” 

* * *

Pidge, Vince, and Hunk were waiting for them. CJ immediately dived down to pet the cats, while Ashlyn stood in front of the table and set the pin down onto the table. 

“Good job,” Hunk said, picking the pin up and putting it into one of his belt pouches. She noticed that he and Pidge were wearing something on their hands: a dark grey thing leaving their fingers exposed, with the pattern on the back of their hands being that of a lion. 

“So, what do we do now?” Vince asked. 

“We round up Lance and Daniel, and we head back to Arus.” Hunk said, standing up. “It’s time to take a quick trip to the Winking Skeever, everyone.” 


	6. Episode Five: Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel finally arrives at the crash site, and informs Lance of what he found.

Daniel sped over the desert, his heart pounding as he recited the coordinates of the spacecraft in his head. _Lat 36.50.22 Long -115.57.37, the Academy’s 1 o’clock, 12.9 miles away._

He had managed to get ahead of the Garrison dispatchers (one of the advantages of using an enhanced bike rather than a standard Garrison bike). Apparently the site was a bunker for nuclear testing before World War III, and like most pre-WWIII weapons testing sites, it remained abandoned. 

Asphalt strips jutted out and around from the bunker, which was a small chamber that jutted up above the ground. He pulled the hoverbike up to the wrecked shuttle, seeing no blood.

Turning the bike off, he dragged it into a bush and hid it relatively well, before shifting through the wreckage and trying not to gag. In the fifteen minutes he spent searching, he didn’t find a body, which was strange. Where was the pilot?

Daniel jumped when he heard a meow behind him. He saw a black cat, just standing there meowing without a care in the world.

“Hey, buddy,” he said, looking around for any sign of its owner. “What are you doing out here?” 

The cat meowed again, before darting away. 

“Hang on buddy, come back!” Daniel followed the cat, as it raced across the ground and slipped into the open bunker door. He gulped as he cracked the door open, seeing only darkness inside. 

Tentatively taking out the flashlight in his pocket, Daniel crept into the bunker. The bunker was sparse and empty except for a staircase in the back, and was covered in various warning posters that were graffitied over time. 

His footsteps echoed in the dark and empty bunker, as he descended lower and lower into a very large and open room. It probably used to be the storage for the weapons, but whatever used to be there was clearly gone now, replaced by rows and rows of shelves. What graffiti he could see covered the walls, and the shelves were covered in various items that Daniel didn’t take the time to look at, instead focused on finding that cat. 

“Here, kitty kitty kitty. Here mysterious black ca-AHT!” 

Something grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him up off the ground and forcing him to drop his flashlight. He didn’t know how far up he was, but it was a lot, and he found his butt planted firmly on a metal beam while a hand covered his mouth. 

It was deathly silent, the only sound the thundering of Daniel’s heart, before a voice hoarse from disuse whispered. “Were you followed?” 

Daniel shook his head, and the hand over his mouth was released. Daniel sighed in relief, then yelped and shut his eyes as he was picked up. The wind whistled around him and he could hear some thumps, as whoever carried him landed on various shelves during their descent. Eventually (and by eventually it was after a few seconds, Daniel was being dramatic, but whatever), they were on the ground, and Daniel was set on his feet. 

His flashlight was pressed into his hands, and he finally opened his eyes again. His breath caught in his throat as he realized just who was standing in front of him. 

A cloak covered his shoulders and head, but his face was illuminated by the flashlight. Dark brown hair went down to his shoulders, and dark grey eyes were narrowed suspiciously at him. The most striking and recognizable features were his scars: one over his right eye and one over his face. 

“I- You’re- Commander Keith!”

The commander shushed Daniel, guiding him to one of the many side doors and shutting the door behind them. A lantern was turned on, and Daniel could get a better look at him. He was really curious about the scar across his face, as it wasn’t on any of the wanted posters or any pictures that could be found.

“I am Commander Keith,” he said, pulling down his hood. His hair was wild and tangled, clearly hadn't been cared for in a while. “Who are you?” 

Daniel stuttered a bit, a bit nervous at the sight of a renowned and deadly lion pilot staring him down. “My name’s Daniel- Daniel Zhu, and I’m a cadet for the G.A.- But I’m not with them! I’ve been working with Lieutenant Garrett and Lieutenant Gunderson to look for the Black Lion!” 

They had a minor staring contest, before a loud meow caught both of their attention. The black cat from earlier had wrapped itself around Daniel’s leg, brushing its face against it. It looked up with wide golden eyes, more intelligent than any other cat he’s seen before. 

“Well, if you trust him,” the commander muttered, before turning his attention back to Daniel. “Who do you know? Who’s involved?” 

“Me, my squadmates, the two lieutenants, and Lance, the bartender at the Winking Skeever.” 

The commander’s eyes widened in surprise, before he shook his head and muttered ‘that dumbass’ under his breath. He turned back to the topic at hand, asking, “Do you have the voltcoms and the keys yet?” 

Daniel simply shook his head. “There’s actually an operation tonight to get them. I’m actually supposed to be there, but it’s supposed to be put in motion at midnight, so I figured I had the time to check it out.” 

He shook his head almost fondly, before pulling something out of his belt pouch. It was a ring, hanging on a simple string, gold with japanese characters engraved. “Take this to Lance, and tell him where I am,” the commander said, dropping the ring into Daniel’s hand. “He’ll know what it means.” 

Daniel nodded, shoving the ring into his jacket pocket and almost sprinting out of the room, before swerving back. “The Garrison! They’ll be here by now.”

“Don’t worry about them,” the commander said with a grin. “I’ll take care of them.” 

* * *

Daniel sped back into town, having avoided being spotted by any Garrison personnel. He’s pretty sure that was due more to the fact that their equipment suddenly blacked out and lost power, rather than any amazing skills on his part. The ring hung heavy in his pocket, the characters foreign to him but surely meaningful (curse him not taking a foreign language like his aunt wanted him to). 

He pulled up to the Winking Skeever, just stopping short as a man went flying out of the window. He could recognize the Garrison personnel uniform, and he was suddenly glad that he was in his leather jacket and not in the cadet uniform. 

Lance stepped out the door, a heavy duty bat slung over his shoulder. “I told you shits that you need a warrant to search the place!” He shouted, as the personnel scrambled away. “So get lost!” 

Daniel parked the hoverbike, running up to Lance. “Can we talk?” 

He blinked in surprise, putting the bat back onto the belt under his apron. “Daniel? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in position?” 

“Can we talk in private?” Daniel asked, looking around at the people starting to gather. 

He sighed, grabbing Daniel by the shoulder and guiding him back into the bar. “Sofia! Cover me for a little while!” He barely heard the lady’s answer before Daniel was guided to the back, the closing shut behind them. 

“Now, what is it you want to talk about?” Lance asked, an eyebrow raised and arms crossed.

“It’s about the spaceship that crashed near the Academy,” Daniel said, voice starting to speed up from nerves. “I got there to investigate, and there was a cat, and I met with the commander and he said-” 

“Woah, hold up,” Lance said, gently grabbing Daniel’s shoulder to steady him. “Slow down. There was a cat and who else?” 

Daniel just sighed, wiggling to grab the ring from his pocket and shove it in Lance’s face. He held his hands out, so Daniel dropped it in, holding his breath. 

Lance examined it closely, turning it over in his hands. “How- How did you get this?” 

“The commander, Commander Keith, he gave it to me-”

“Keith?!” Lance’s head snapped back up. “You actually saw him?!” 

“Yes, I did.” 

Lance nodded, shoving the ring in the pocket of his shorts and quickly throwing aside the pink apron, replacing it with a modest brown jacket. “Let’s go then.”

“Go?” 

“Go back to the ship. You saw him, right? He’s still there?” 

“Yeah, he should be. It didn’t seem like he was going to leave.” 

“Then we’re going.” 

“What about the others-?” 

“The others can pull it off without you. They’ll be fine.” They had walked out of the back by now, and Lance nodded to Sofia. “Cover my shift.” She nodded wordlessly, and they left the bar. 

Lance hopped on Daniel’s hoverbike while Daniel punched the coordinates back into the GPS. “Sugar Bunker,” he muttered. “I know where that is. You don’t have to worry about the GPS.” 

“If you’re sure,” Daniel said, getting on and holding as tightly as he could. 

“Oh, I’m sure.” He gave the bike a few revs, checking to make sure it worked properly, probably. “Now hang on tight.” 

Everything Daniel was worried about was wiped from his mind the instant they shot off, as he was more worried about hanging on. But one thought stuck in his head. 

_I wonder if the others are gonna be okay._


	7. Episode Six: Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris and Larmina finally talk for the first time in a long time, while Lance races against the clock to find Keith.

“One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three.” 

Iris muttered under her breath as she practiced her dance, without the violin on her shoulder this time, as her teacher wasn’t watching her. A recording of the audio played from her phone so she could still dance to the music. Her playing was perfect, it was her footwork that needed work. So work she did. 

Eventually her voice trailed off, replacing the words with humming instead. Humming made it easier to keep her breathing even as she danced. 

The recording suddenly stopped, and she fell over, gracelessly landing on her tail feathers as her wings puffed out. She glared at the offending party, who was bent over laughing next to the chair that Iri’s phone was set on. 

“Mina!” Iris whined, but let Larmina pull her up onto her feet. “I was practicing.” 

“You’ve been practicing for ages,” Larmina complained, grabbing her wrists and dragging her along. “This is the first time in forever that we’ve been able to see each other! We need to spend time together!” 

Iris sighed, but started pulling bobby pins out of her bun. “Let me go change, alright?” Larmina nodded, and she slipped into a side room, putting on her regular clothes over her leotard. After securing her jacket and tying her sneakers, she stepped back out. 

“That was fast,” Larmina said, then narrowed her eyes. “Did you just put your clothes on over your leotard?” 

Iris just started whistling innocently and Larmina shoved her back into the side closet. “Go change for real!” 

After an actual change later, Iris was dragged off by Larmina, a hand around her wrist. They made their way into one of the side libraries, one of the maids serving them some hibiscus tea and biscuits. 

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Irie,” Larmina said, the childhood nickname slipping out of her mouth easily, like it hasn’t been months since they last saw each other. 

“It has, hasn’t it.” Iris took a sip of her tea, made perfectly as always. “Why has your aunt sent you over this time?” 

“Well, she says it’s because I’m acting up again, but I don’t think that’s it, honestly,” Larmina put her cup down. “I’ve heard rumors about the conflict with the Drule ramping back up again.”

“And Wade’s denying it as usual.” 

Larmina nodded as Iris took a bite of her biscuit. “I’ve heard rumors- I’ve heard rumors about them looking for a way to resurrect Haggar.” 

Iris frowned, nibbling on her biscuit again, her ears, pressing down. “I hope they find the black lion quickly. Otherwise who knows what we’re gonna do.” 

They sat there for a little while, unsure about what to do, before Larmina grinned, a grin that has gotten them into trouble time and time again. 

“What do you say?” She nudged Iris’s arm, and her ears lifted in interest. “Why don’t we go raid the kitchens like we did when we were kids? Just like when were kids.” 

Iris chuckled. “We’re too big to fit in the vents now.” 

“But we’re faster,” Larmina said, grabbing her wrists and pulling her up. “We’ll just grab the tarts and book it.” 

Iris started laughing as they ran through the halls, feeling like the weight of the world had just fallen off of her shoulders. 

* * *

Lance revved the bike, urging it to speed up. His heart pounded, at the real, actual possibility of seeing Keith alive. He had given up a year into the radio silence, but it was a chance now. And that’s all Lance needed. A chance. 

Daniel’s arms had a death grip on him, probably afraid of falling off. Although Lance was much better than that. He’d had eight people on a hoverbike once and only one person fell off. Daniel would be fine, but Lance was too focused on zipping to Sugar Bunker in order to reassure the kid.

Sugar Bunker was an old hideout of theirs, when they were cadets in the GA and looking for a place to be able to relax outside of the town. It was off-limits to them of course, but they broke in anyways, overhauling the entire place and making it their own. 

The G.A. surrounded the place of course, and Lance pulled over the bike to hide it behind some large rocks, dropping one of Pidge’s devices on it. Whoever touches the bike is gonna get a real nasty shock. 

Ruby meowed loudly and shook out her fur as she perched on Lance’s shoulder. Daniel’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t know she came with us! Shouldn’t she be back at the bar?” 

Lance chuckled. “She’ll be fine.” He turned back to the boy in question. “How good’s your throwing arm?” 

“My throwing arm?” Daniel shrugged. “I did baseball back in middle school. It’s pretty good.” 

Lance put a device in his hand. “Throw this as hard as you can over there.” 

“Wait, you want me to throw a bomb?!” Daniel’s eyes grew wide as he stared at the device. 

“It’s not a bomb,” Lance sighed. “It’s one of Pidge’s contraptions. Makes a very loud bang and a very bright light. Like a flare. It won’t hurt you, kid, just throw it.” 

The kid nodded, pitching back and throwing it as hard as he could. They hid behind a rock, and when they could hear that the device exploded and the Garrison went after it, they made a break for the bunker. 

Shutting and locking the door behind them, Lance grabbed Daniel’s wrist as he weaved through the bunker, muscle memory carrying him through the dark. They stopped at the base of the stairs, where Lance could see the beams of the personnel. 

Ruby leapt off of his shoulder, her eyes gleaming in the darkness. She started walking slowly, and Lance simply followed her, trusting her to know the way. Thankfully Daniel stayed quiet, accepting whatever mayhem was going on now.

Their pace was agonizingly slow, having to stop every few minutes to avoid the light being flashed on them. But eventually they made it to one of the open side doors. It was the room they renovated to be a living area of sorts, back in their cadet years. 

They slipped in, and Daniel let out a sigh of relief next to him as the door was shut and locked. Lance felt like they were being watched though, and he didn’t hesitate as his instincts told him to move.

He whipped a gun out of his jacket, aiming it at the head of whoever was behind him. He was staring down a gun barrel himself, aimed by a man wearing a cloaked hood that covered his face in shadow. 

The kid turned on the lights, and he finally got a good look at who was staring him down. 

He completely dropped his gun in shock. 

“Keith?” 

The pilot of the black lion lowered his arm, his voice hesitant and shaky. “Lance?” 

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere-?” Lance was cut off by Keith barrelling into him, grabbing him and pulling him into a hug. His fingers dug into his jacket, and he grabbed Lance like he would disappear if he let go. 

Lance was quick to wrap his arms around Keith’s shoulders, burying his face into Keith’s hair as he did the same. His hair was tangled, he was thinner, clearly not having gotten a lot of food on the run, and he was shaking like a leaf, but he was still Keith. It really was him. He wasn’t dead, he was alive. 

They were both distracted by purring, right next to their legs. If Lance looked over, he could see Ruby and a black cat, who was definitely Onyx, rubbing up against each other. They both rumbled like engines, clearly happy to see each other. 

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Keith muttered. 

“What happened?” Lance asked, his forehead gently resting on Keith’s. 

“I-” Keith tensed up, then shook his head. “Not right now. I’ll tell you when we get back to Arus- ah-!” 

Keith hissed as he stepped back on his right foot, nearly falling over, but Lance held him steady. “Jesus, Keith,” Lance muttered, picking him up easily. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” 

“No, I’m- Lance!” Ah. It seemed like Keith finally spotted Daniel. “What’s he doing here?” 

Lance shrugged, starting off through the side corridors towards the makeshift medbay (because when the cadets got into stupid shit, they needed somewhere to patch themselves up). “I wasn’t about to just leave the kid at the bar.” 

Keith gave him his famous disapproving glare as he heard the cats and Daniel following them. “There’s an operation going on that he’s needed in.” 

“No he’s not. He’s supposed to be the backup for Pidge, and Pidge doesn’t need backup.” 

He snorted in his arms. “No, he doesn’t.” 

Lance set Keith onto the cot, pulling out one of the medkits. Daniel sat on the opposite cot, with Ruby curling in his lap and Onyx next to him. “Now, how are you injured?” 

Keith sighed, accepting his fate as he gave Lance his foot. “It’s just my sprained ankle. Nothing else.” 

“Nothing else?” 

“Nothing else.” 

They looked each other in the eyes for a while, before Lance sighed and started wrapping it. His husband’s eyes were honest, but there was a wall there that wasn’t before. It made him feel something, but Lance pushed the feeling down as he put the medkit back. 

“Here, this is yours,” Lance muttered, sitting down on the cot next to him and dropping the ring in Keith’s hand. 私の心, my heart. The same characters were on his ring too. 

Keith slipped the ring into his pocket. “Do you have yours?” 

“Of course,” Lance responded, tapping the pocket right over his heart. He sewed the pocket there himself, so that he could keep his ring on him without breaking his disguise. 

Keith was about to say something, but something beeped in Lance’s pocket. He pulled out his phone, his eyes wide as he saw a text from Hunk. “Shit. The bar was supposed to be our rendezvous.” 

“Tell them to meet us here,” Keith said, and Lance could hear the gears turning in his head. “We need to get the keys and the voltcoms. And I want to meet these cadets that you approved of.” 

Lance nodded, sending the text back, before Daniel spoke up. “Actually, I think he’s only met me and CJ.” 

“Well, Hunk and Pidge clearly approved of them!” Lance raised his hands up as Keith raised an eyebrow. “There wouldn’t be an attempt if they didn’t.” 

Keith just shook his head. “You are a dumbass.” 

Lance hummed, pulling his husband closer. “You married me.” 

“You’re married?!” Daniel squawked, flailing around and disturbing the cat on his lap.

They both just looked at him as he thought about it. “Actually, that makes a lot of sense.” 

They both chuckled, the cats moving to curl up next to their respective partners. Keith closed his eyes and simply leaned on him. 

This is what he was missing. The quiet moment, with the man he loved by his side. 

For the first time in a long time, he was happy. 


	8. Episode Seven: Lions Unmasked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cadets and lieutenants make their way to the Winking Skeever, while Keith and Lance plan their next course of action. Both groups collide at Sugar Bunker.

They had all piled into this old school Jeep, with the lieutenants in the front seat and the cadets crammed into the back seat. Which meant that CJ was stuck with the middle seat. Fun. 

It wasn’t all bad though. The two cats had decided to come along, and were both on her lap. Apparently the shorthair tabby with green eyes was named Emerald and the golden tabby was named Topaz. She thought it was cute that the pilots all adopted cats and had a naming scheme. Friendship cats. 

When she had suggested this to the group, Ash and Vince had given her the stank eye, so she just dropped it. 

They stopped in front of the Winking Skeever, and she could feel their questioning eyes on her again as Hunk went into the bar. 

“So, when you were going off to go meet this mysterious dealer of yours, this is where you’ve been meeting them?” Ash asked, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. 

“Yeah?” CJ shrugged, giving Emmy scritches under her ear. “Where else would we meet?” 

Ash sighed and Vince face palmed while Pidge laughed from his spot in shotgun. “I’m glad my chaotic spirit lives on,” he grinned, taking another bite out of one of the cinnamon rolls he pilfered earlier. 

“Where did you get those?” Vince asked, looking around him. 

“He stole them,” CJ grumbled. “And he wouldn’t even let me or Daniel have one.” 

Before anyone could react to this knowledge, Hunk stormed back out, pulling out his phone grumpily. Pidge made the universal ‘stay here’ symbol and hopped out onto the roof of the car. 

After a few moments, Ash asked, “What’s going on?” 

“Hell if I know,” CJ shrugged, before leaning forward to eavesdrop. Alas, she couldn’t hear anything, but the conversation seemed to be short anyways, as the two lieutenants got back in the car. 

“Alright, new plan,” Hunk said, turning the Jeep back on. “We’re making a quick stop at Sugar Bunker, because apparently Lance went there instead of waiting for us here like we agreed upon beforehand.” 

Everyone looked at each other, before Ash spoke up. “Wait a minute, isn’t that where the UFO is? Did Daniel drag Lance with him?!” 

“That sounds like something he would do,” Both Vince and CJ said in unison, the former deadpan and the latter with a shrug. 

The Jeep started off with a sputter, but was soon racing across the desert. Adrenaline buzzed through her veins as she looked out over the desert. Something big, really big, was going to happen, and she was going to be smack dab in the middle of it.

“What are you so happy about?” Vince looked mildly concerned about her grin. 

“We’re about to change history, Vince!” CJ exclaimed. “Us!” 

“That’s not exciting, that’s terrifying.” 

“Aww, come on! You’ll have me and Daniel with you! We’ll be fine!” 

“That’s exactly why I’m terrified.” 

* * *

“The Garrison is still hanging around,” Lance said, slipping back into the medbay, Ruby hot on his heels. Onyx, the black cat, was squarely on Keith’s lap, while Daniel sat on the other cot and tried to make small talk with the commander. 

Keith huffed, his face unreadable. “Wade must have realized that I’m here. We’re going to have to move soon.” 

“You’re not going anywhere on that foot,” Lance stated firmly, concern laced in his voice. 

Keith sighed, making a motion to get up, but the cat on his lap hissed in some sort of warning and he stopped. “Look, we have to get out of here. You can’t just take them on your own for a whole night, we’re going to have to leave at some point. It’s just a sprained ankle, I can walk on it-” 

Lance marched over to him, placing his hands on Keith’s shoulders. “I will fucking carry you if I have to, but you are not walking on your injured ankle.” 

“Aren’t the others supposed to meet us here?” Daniel asked, deciding that now was the appropriate time to butt in (and maybe because he was being sucked into the drama but he wasn’t going to tell anyone that). “We probably shouldn’t take out without them.” 

They both looked at each other. Lance slung the bat over his shoulder with a sigh, stepping back and pressing a gentle kiss to Keith’s forehead. He just blinked a couple of times, eyes wide like his mind was blue-screening. “I’ll do another sweep,” Lance said, turning around. If Daniel wasn’t paying attention, he would’ve missed that the man was blushing. It really did feel like a scene out of a romance novel that Ashlyn liked to read. 

“Speaking of which, if they're still here, how have they not found us?” Daniel asked, genuinely curious. 

“This place is still as much of a maze as it was back when we were teenagers,” Lance said, Ruby climbing up onto his shoulder. “They’re all lost as hell.” 

“So, did you get lost?” 

“Of course not!” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “You got lost so much that Ruby had to bring you back.” 

“Hey!” 

* * *

Hunk stopped the Jeep somewhere nearby, standing up through the top with a pair of binoculars. Pidge was sitting on the roof with him, and Ashlyn was trying to listen in without being noticed. CJ right next to her did not have that same qualm, climbing over Vince to listen in, and Vince was just trying to ignore that they were all here. 

Eventually, the two of them sat back down. “Okay, here’s the plan,” Hunk said. “Me and Pidge are going to go inside, and you three are going to stay out here.” 

CJ was going to object loudly, but Ashlyn slapped a hand over her mouth to keep her from saying something stupid. Instead, Vince was the one to say something for them. “That sounds like a horrible plan. What if they find us?” 

“Oh, they won’t.” Pidge grinned, tossing a grenade in his hand, and suddenly Ashlyn had a sudden feeling that staying in the Jeep would be better for her health. 

“Stay here, be safe,” Hunk said, making the watching you gesture at CJ, before stepping out with Pidge. Emerald settled on Hunk’s shoulder, while Topaz remained on the dashboard, eyes closed but ears perked up. 

They stayed very still until the two of them went into the bunker, then Ashlyn had the courage to remove her hand and let CJ speak. 

“So, we’re totally going after them, right?” CJ asked. 

There was an explosion that rocked the Jeep, rattling her bones. Vince and her both glared at CJ. 

“Right?” 

“No!” “Absolutely not!” 

“You are absolutely crazy!” Vince shouted. “The two lion pilots can handle it. We’re safe if we stay here!” 

“But Daniel’s in there!” CJ shouted. “We can’t just leave Daniel out to dry!” 

“Daniel has three lion pilots there to help him! He’ll be fine!” 

“Shut up you two!” Ashlyn shouted, and the two whipped their heads around to look at her. “I don’t think we have a choice.” 

They both looked out the window she pointed at, seeing the G.A. Jeep approaching them. “Oh, fuck,” CJ swore.

Ashlyn kicked out the door, dragging CJ and Vince along with her as she made a break for it. When the vehicle stopped in front of her, she swore, jamming her heels down and sending them all tumbling. 

Personnel scrambled out, four people surrounding them and aiming rifles at them. “They’re cadets,” one of them said. “Captain, what should we do?” 

“They know too much already,” the captain responded, raising her rifle in preparation. “Supreme Marshall Wade orders for them to be executed.” 

Ashlyn held her friends close, squeezing her eyes shut, hoping for a miracle-

_BANG!_

She opened one eye cautiously, then gasped when she saw the stone. Stone walls had risen around them, and were slowly rising more. She held her breath, until the walls eventually fell outwards, crushing the personnel and the Jeep with a sinister crunch. 

Ashlyn had locked eyes with a lioness that was approaching them. She had light brown fur the color of sand, dark brown specks across her pelt. Spikes of rock went down her back, but what stood out were the bright golden eyes that held far more intelligence and wisdom than a normal lion would have. 

“Holy shit,” CJ said, and Ashlyn just nodded mutely. 

“Is that, wait,” Vince narrowed his eyes, then widened them. “Is that Topaz?” 

The lioness purred warmly, then looked over her shoulder, before flicking her tail and running towards the bunker. Deciding that she would rather get out of danger than ask questions, Ashlyn grabbed her friends’ hands and started running after the lioness.

* * *

Daniel stumbled as he stood up when an explosion rocked the bunker. “Looks like our ride arrived,” Lance muttered, then turned to Keith. “Stay here with the kid?” 

Keith shook his head, standing up with a stern face and without flinching (man, that must hurt). “You need back up. We’ll take Ruby, I’ll leave Onyx here.” 

“But-” 

“I’ll be fine.” Keith walked up to Lance and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I’ll stay in the rafters, I promise.” 

Lance sighed, then turned to Daniel himself. “Stay here kid. For your own safety.” The two men walked out of the room, along with the fluffy red cat, leaving only him and a cat. 

He only managed to stand still for two seconds before jumping to his feet. His skin crawled when he saw Onyx, who was giving him the most disappointing glare that he had ever seen. 

“Look, I’m just going to stand on the sidelines,” Daniel pleaded to the cat, for some reason. “I just want to make sure my friends are safe.” 

It looked like the cat sighed, actually sighed (that cat was smarter than a normal cat, he swears), and stood up. She walked up next to him, then bumped his leg impatiently, as if to ask him what he was waiting for. 

“I really am going crazy,” he muttered, before pushing open the door and closing it. 

The place really was a maze. It only took about five minutes for him to give in and just follow Onyx. Daniel was never really good at mazes, but even if he was, he was pretty sure that he would’ve been hopelessly lost. (He’d have to ask CJ about that. She’s good at mazes.)

They ended up in the main chamber, with Daniel huddling behind a doorway. All he could hear was shooting, so he was pretty sure that he was in the right place. He could see flashes of red blaster fire, and a flash of purple- wait, purple?

Daniel started running, nearly colliding into someone and sending them both falling over. Based on the selection of extremely specific insults he’s hearing, Daniel guessed it was Vince. 

“Vince! Guys!” Daniel shouted excitedly. 

“Daniel?!” They all asked in unison. Now that Daniel’s eyes were adjusting to the chaos, he could see Ashlyn, Vince, CJ and the yellow cat, Topaz. 

“And a black cat?” CJ asked in confusion. 

“There’s no time to explain,” Daniel grabbed the wrists of the closest two people, which happened to be Vince and Ashlyn, and started walking backwards. “I know somewhere safe we can wait this out.” 

“Then let’s go!” Vince shouted, before a light shone on all of them and they all froze. 

“You’re not going anywhere.” Garrison personnel surrounded them, all with deadly rifles pointed at them. “Unfortunately for you, cadets, you know too much. We can’t let you go alive.” 

Daniel’s heart pounded, and he held his breath. He could hear the blood pounding in his head, fear paralyzing him. 

Something shifted next to him, and a loud roar echoed through the chamber. The rifles suddenly shorted out, the personnel giving startled shouts, and Daniel finally got a good look at what saved them. 

A lioness, with pure black fur, stood in front of them protectively as the cadets backed up against the wall. Electricity arced down her spine, and her golden eyes whipped around, assessing the situation. 

Not even a moment later, blaster fire started raining down from the rafters, causing the personnel to panic. Some ran away, some tried to aim at the ceiling, and some assholes tried to shoot them, before one of them got a hole in their chest. 

Lance ran out of the darkness, his bat in his hands. With a twist of his wrist, Daniel’s eyes widened as the baseball bat _turned into a shotgun_. 

Bright green laser ninja stars also whipped out of the darkness, as Pidge and Hunk jumped into the fray as well. Hunk stayed close to the group, some sort of giant yellow laser hammer in his hands. The markings on the Voltcoms were glowing, so Daniel made the logical conclusion that the laser weapons were part of the Voltcoms. 

“Kids! What are you doing here?!” Hunk shouted. “You’re supposed to be in the Jeep!” 

“The G.A. were trying to kill us!” Vince shouted back, his voice strained from anxiety and from trying to keep his back as close to the wall as physically possible. “We didn’t really have a choice!” 

“And what’s your excuse, Daniel?!” 

“Me?!” A pause. “I don’t have one!” 

“Dammit Daniel!” Both Ashlyn and Vince shouted in unison. 

It was only a few more minutes, and then the fighting was over. The personnel were either running away or dead, which Daniel refused to look at. The laser weapons disappeared, and Lance had twisted his wrist so that the shotgun turned back into a baseball, before approaching the four of them. 

“So are the cats the lions?” CJ blurted out, and everyone looked at her. It was then that Daniel noticed that the black lioness was gone, and Onyx sat there innocently. Topaz, Ruby, and Emerald were right next to her. 

“Uh… yes?” Hunk responded, sounding genuinely flabbergasted. 

CJ was about to ask more questions, but Ashlyn did the smart thing and covered her mouth. Hunk turned back to Lance, while Daniel let out a sigh of relief. 

“Who’s in the rafters?” He asked. “And why the fuck are you out here rather than at the bar?” 

Before Lance could answer, a few thumps were heard, as a figure jumped down from the rafters. He had his hood on, but pulled it down quickly. “Guys?” Keith asked hesitantly. 

“Keith!” Hunk and Pidge shouted. They ran at the Commander, pulling him into a hug. Lance waited a few moments, then he also ran into the hug. 

Daniel heard sniffles, and the cadets all looked at Ashlyn, who had tears gathering in her eyes. “What?” she asked shakily. “It’s a really sweet moment, alright?” 

After a few moments, the hug ended, with Hunk noticeably wiping away a few tears. Keith was favoring his non-sprained leg, and Lance had already moved to his side. 

“We don’t have much time before Wade sends back up,” Keith said, all business now. “We can’t stay here. We need to go somewhere.” 

Pidge hummed thoughtfully, before a massive grin split across his face. “I know a place we could go.” 


	9. Episode Eight: Regroup at Remridge Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Force and cadets have a team meeting (plus food) at Remridge Mansion, while Queen Allura touches base with her wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *adds some wlw fluff* I can have some fluff, as a treat.

Ashlyn gawked out the window, watching as they rolled up to this massive mansion. They had driven through a large gate, and this person had to be rich because she could see actual trees and grass growing. The mansion itself was quite large and impressive, lit up on the outside by lights. It screamed ‘I can spend obscene amounts of money on stupid bullshit’ and Ashlyn hated it already. 

“This is where we’re going?!” Vince’s voice had a tinge of panic in it. “Aren’t we going to be caught here?” 

“No, he’s not stupid enough to try and turn us in,” Pidge spoke up ominously from where he sat in the trunk. 

“What does that mean?” Daniel asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” 

They all piled out, and Pidge bounded up to the door, knocking on the door without a care in the world. Ashlyn could tell that the others, even the other lion pilots, were on edge, but still trusted Pidge. 

“Knock knock motherfucker!” Pidge shouted, slamming his fist onto the door. “I know you’re in there!” 

The door opened, and they saw a man come to the door. He had bright blue hair, many piercings, and looked vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn’t figure where from. However Daniel and CJ gasped next to her, and Vince just sighed next to her, giving her the impression that she should know who he is.

“Oh, hey! Pidgey!” the man chuckled nervously, as the cadets’ jaws all dropped. “Long time no see!” 

Pidge shoved past him, entering the house without a care in the world. “Good to see ya too, old pal. Now, we’re gonna need to stay the night.” 

He tensed up, levelling a nervous glare at the other. “And how would you know that I wouldn’t turn you in?” 

“Oh don’t play dumb with me, Jakey,” Pidge grinned, reminding the others that this was a trained war veteran. “We both know that if you tried to turn us in, your body would be found in the river.” 

The man just shrugged and let them in. 

“Did Pidge just threaten Jacob Nova?” Daniel whispered as they walked into the lobby. The floor was made of black granite, gold lining the marble pillars. It’s the pinnacle of rich architecture, and the only quality of rich architecture is the amount of gold they can cram into everything.

Ashlyn leaned in. “Who’s Jacob Nova?” 

The two chaotic dumbasses of the group gasped, and Vince just sighed. “You haven’t heard of Jacob Nova?!” 

“No?” 

“He’s an extremely popular rapper,” Vince said, patting Ashlyn on the back. “He also used to be in a band called Cybernated Influx.” 

“He was better when he was in the band,” CJ muttered, and Daniel sputtered, whipping around with a finger pointed.

“Excuse me! He got out of the band in order to create his own unique sound!” 

They were about to start bickering again, when Hunk smacked them both upside the back of the head. “Don’t fight. Focus.” 

They were led into this grand hall, a giant long table covered in a simple white tablecloth. Gold candelabras covered the table, with gold dinnerware. The table was littered in covered dishes, just waiting to be unveiled. Everyone took a seat, with Ashlyn making sure to sit next to Vince.

A few butlers stepped out, opening up the dishes. Her mouth started watering at all the dishes being revealed. She hesitated, but CJ immediately started grabbing food and piling it into her face, so eventually she got some food too.

* * *

Food was quickly piled down, and the conversation quickly turned to planning, once the rapper left. Onyx was laying on Keith’s lap, Ruby on Daniel’s, Emerald was on Vince’s shoulder and Topaz sat on the table stealing scraps from plates. 

Vince watched as the pilots started swapping around the lion keys and the voltcoms, while Hunk held onto the blue voltcom and key, as he was the one with the biggest pockets. 

“So, what’s the plan from here?” CJ asked, as she was shoving more food in her mouth, somehow. Vince decided to pass on having pastries, so he nibbled on a cookie. 

“We’ve gotta go back to Arus, right?” Hunk asked. “I mean, legally, we have the best chance on Arus.” 

“Right, but it’s getting back there that’s the problem,” Lance grumbled. “Keith’s ship is trashed, last I saw it was on fire, and the only available ships are in the G.A.” 

Keith leaned back, took a big swig of whatever he’s drinking, and said, “Then we steal one.” 

Everyone looked at him. “You heard me. The only available ships off are with the G.A.? Then we go get one. Pidge goes into the back and causes a power outage, the rest of us sneak into the garage and take a ship.”

Everyone looked at each other. “That’s a very simple plan,” Pidge said. “I’m game.” 

“You’re always game when it comes to doing anything illegal.” Hunk smacked Pidge over the head. Topaz took that opportunity to steal Pidge’s cheese stick. 

“I think it’s simple enough?” Vince asked, taking another bite of his cookie. 

“I’m always down to commit crimes!” CJ exclaimed with a grin. Daniel seconded that with a raised pastry. 

“Well, I guess that’s what we’re doing,” Lance sighed, taking a sip of his drink. 

Vince rubbed his eyes, noticing that the time was now three in the morning. “Well, if we’re going to go commit crimes, I’m going to go to bed.” 

Keith also looked at the time. “That is a good idea. Children, to bed.” 

“Why are we called the children?” 

“Because you are the children. Go to bed.” 

* * *

Allura sighed, leaning back in her seat as she rubbed her eyes. Dealing with the various Barons of Arus, the Arusian Council, the Galaxy Alliance, whatever the fuck Wade’s doing this week, and keeping a wary eye on what the Drule are doing is a headache. A quite literal one too, as the pounding in her head is keen to remind her. 

The door opened and shut in her office, and she could hear the clinking of metal behind her as her wife moved. Allura turned around, a smile touching her face. 

Empress Merla was the ruler of the Bimmun Empire, and Allura was incredibly lucky to have married her. She was wearing her full armor, metal plates covering her muscular arms and a metal plated skirt around her waist. Her metallic mask was on her face, with magenta hair pulled back into a braid going down to her knees, and of course, the red and green cloak was around her shoulders. But if Allura looked closely, she could see the wedding band around her left arm, matching the one on Allura’s right arm. 

Merla handed her the coffee and Tylenol, and waited patiently as her wife took the pain killer. She was currently there on a business visit, as well as a vacation. She would have to return to Bimmun eventually, but they would savor the time together, like they always did. 

“How are you doing, Darling?” Merla asked, pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek, before starting to massage her. 

Allura leaned into the touch, a low hum rumbling from her throat. “Same old, same old,” she smiled, drinking her coffee slowly, savoring the caramel espresso mix. “Baron Tamnis wants more funding for roads, but still refuses to raise his taxes enough to actually build those roads, and we can’t send him any more money. Wade’s doing something, his troop movements are weird, but I can’t figure it out. And Lotor- well, you know about the rumors of him trying to revive Haggar. I know he’s an incompetent fuck, but the council behind him has been able to pull enough strings to keep the Galra Kingdom from looking like a complete shit show, and if Haggar really is revived, the Drule could be much more of a threat than Wade.” 

Merla hummed thoughtfully, and Allura sighed happily as she relaxed, her wife’s fingers working the knots in her shoulders. “Well, Darling, you know that Hunk and the others are on their way back with the Voltcoms and keys, and there’s a chance that Keith is alive,” she said reassuringly. “Once Voltron is back together, we can take on whatever Wade or the Drule Empire throws at us.” 

Allura smiled, putting aside her coffee cup and spinning her chair around again to face her wife. She leaned up, pressing a kiss to her lips. Merla leaned down, hands on the chair’s handles. 

She pulled back, one hand going to cup Allura’s face and running over her cheek. “You have a little something here, Darling.” 

In the reflection of the metal mask, Allura could spot the indigo lipstick on her cheek, and simply smiled. “But I love having a reminder of you, Honey Muffin.” 

Merla simply smiled fondly. “Then let me give you another one,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to her other cheek. 

Allura giggled, taking her wife’s hands in hers, then leaned forward to press her forehead against the metal mask. They breathed in tandem for a few moments, then Allura broke the silence. “How are Larmina and Iris doing?” 

“Last I saw them, they were raiding the kitchen for sweets.” 

They both chuckled. “Someone’s a bad influence,” Allura teased. 

“I can’t speak for Iris, she’s not my child,” Merla said. “But when it comes to Larmina, that’s definitely your influence, Love.” 

Allura giggled, pressing a kiss to Merla’s cheek. “You win, you win. Although when we got married, I never expected to be the bad influence on our daughter.” 

“Oh?” Merla raised an eyebrow. “Did you think I would be?” 

“No, I was pretty sure it was gonna be Pidge.” 

They both laughed at that. “I’m pretty sure they are now,” Merla smiled, pressing another kiss gently to her wife’s lips. 

“You’ve been working really hard,” she said after a few moments. “How about you rest for the rest of the day?”

Allura hummed, before smiling wide. “I’d really like that.” 

Merla pulled her up onto her feet, and they walked out of the small study, moments before the queen’s phone started ringing. 


End file.
